Ronald Cantrell, head of Iowa State’s agronomy department, will become the new director general of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines on Sept. 1.

The IRRI is a nonprofit organization for scientific research and training which is responsible for assisting farmers in developing nations, according to a press release.

Cantrell worked with similar programs in Mexico at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center before coming to ISU but said he is looking forward to a new challenge.

“It is a tremendous challenge to try and improve rice yields because the main goal is to do it using less land and less water,” Cantrell said.

Cantrell said his new task will be to identify genomes in the germ plasm bank to make rice more productive and more resistant to insects, thereby decreasing the need for pesticides and ultimately to increase the world’s food supply.

Because of increasing urbanization in the Philippines, the problems with food production in that nation are directly related to available space, Cantrell said.

IRRI scientists and directors have been awarded the World Food Prize on three separate occasions for their efforts in attempting to improve the world’s food supply.

IRRI provides scientific solutions to the problems of modern agriculture, such as production and insect control, while maintaining standards which promote environmentally acceptable practices.

During his eight years at ISU, Cantrell has helped ISU’s agronomy department become an internationally recognized program.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with top-rate faculty and staff. Their efforts have been the reason our student numbers continue to increase, as well as our funding from external sources,” Cantrell said.

Cantrell is a fellow and former president of the Crop Science Society of America.